Answered Prayers for Male Incontinence Sufferers

There are 17 comments on the
Earth Times
story from Apr 12, 2007, titled Answered Prayers for Male Incontinence Sufferers.
In it, Earth Times reports that:

Urinary incontinence affects more than three million men in the United States, most of whom underwent surgery for prostate cancer that resulted in damage to the urinary sphincter and stress urinary ...
via Earth Times

I have been living with incontinence for over 3 years now since my radical prostatectomy. Has anyone had any luck with a cure, short of surgery. I have done Kegels 'till the cows come home with no real impact. Appreciate any help or thoughts, please.

I had a friend who suffered with that. He used some kind of clamp on himself but didn't like it because he said it irritated him. It probably interferes with the blood supply a little bit. It may also chafe. I was not familiar with the particular device he used. I might try inventing a properly sized washable cloth one which is sewed or snapped on if I had that trouble or someone I knew did. I bet most of the surgeries are truly frustrating. If you ever choose that make sure you actually know someone who had the procedure done that you are contemplating. Make sure he likes the results and go to the doctor he went to. Not all doctors are very good at procedures. Some do truly stupid things such as operate on the wrong side of the brain when there is a brain hemmorhage because the xray was turned around on the machine that displays the xray. I do not know very many who had successful knee or back surgeries so, heads up, if you decide on surgery. I would be interested for the sake of many, if you find a solution you like. I will always take it with a grain of salt however since it is hard to know if something is being sold. Even surgeries and devices are sold.

[I had my prostatectomy 2 months ago, and still have total incontinence. I am still hoping this will improve, but until then, UCDs are in order.

I am posting this in hope of helping others in my predicament.

I found out real quick that I do not like diapers of any kind ( too much liquid flowing, too much squishiness when sitting, and too much stinkiness).

My solutions to date:

Summer daytime wear when not sure about bathroom availability (golf course?): texas catheter, snugged up a little with stretch wrap and tape (just in hope of preventing backflow for a few hours), draining almost sideways into a disposable urine bag, supported (hung) by a shoestring from waistband of underwear (a jockstrap works well), with same shostring tied around thigh to hold it in place, then urine bag is folded upward in half, secured by a small strap.

This can be worn with knee length shorts, needs to be emptied every couple of hours, and has lasted for 24 hours, although I usually remove and clean it before bedtime.

Daytime when bathrooms are available: a CVS pharmacy male guard (pad), folded in half over the penis head, wrapped securely with a couple bands of tape (1 near the head, the other at the shaft base). I use painters tape from LOWE'S... a lot cheaper than Johnson and Johnson products.The tape helps prevent leakage and pullout. Wear this with BRIEFS. The adhesive on the pad, and the tight fitting briefs, and the taped sheath all work to prevent pullout. I drink about 60 oz daily, and these pads last 2 to 3 hours (a stretch). I watch the clock and change every 2 hours ... very little odor, no squishiness when sitting, not noticeable through outer wear.

Nighttime : Same pads taped into a sheath, but instead of regular briefs, I wear Serenity Tena brief style underwear, in case overflow happens.Overflow rarely happens for me ... I tend to retain some urine when laying down, and I will awake with an urge to go every 2 to 4 hours ... the sheath will be pretty full, and will be changed at this time.

While not a cure for incontinence, I could live this way if I had to. All these solutions probably won't work for everyone, maybe they will be helpful to some.

I have recently been experimenting with the ALPHADRY condom system ... great results so far ... I wear it morning till bedtime, then switch to the Guards taped into a sheath w backup pull-up diaper briefs for sleeptime.

At first glance, it seems pricey, but with 1 lasting 15 days, and me going through 10 pads in the daytime, it's actually cheaper. Also, more convenient than pads/sheaths etc., and although it's basically an external cath with urine bag , the compact configuration (no straps, no tubing) is a real PLUS!

My father had problems with leakage and he would not wear an adult diaper and it drove my family nuts. His pants always had a wet spot and he just didn't care anymore. My sister found these absorbent pockets that stick inside underwear.This is the link http://www.yourdiaper.com/dignity-mens-antile... and they worked great for him, and he wasn't too embarrased to wear these.You can keep them in your back pocket for when you need to change them in the bathroom.

I have been living with incontinence for over 3 years now since my radical prostatectomy. Has anyone had any luck with a cure, short of surgery. I have done Kegels 'till the cows come home with no real impact. Appreciate any help or thoughts, please.

I put up with total urinary incontinence for 6 months ... that was long enough ... i know you said no surgery, but an AUS implant is so easy: outpatient surgery, cath out next day, play golf in 2 weeks, activate in 6 weeks and pretty well stay dry ... and medicare covers it... why wait?

Olslyfox: Your incontinece was related to surgery, correct? How does the aus effect sex life, potency etc.? What is the total medical term for aus? Thanks and congrats on solving your problem. My small but consistent leaks drive me to distraction. Appreciate any comments you may have.

Ellie:That's kind of a relative question. If you are looking for a solution for "heavy" male in continence then you are already past all of the Male Guards made by Tena, Prevail, Depend etc. The next step up is something like the Attends Super Shaped Pads which are really absorbent but not too many men use them. After that you would be looking at some type of "protective underwear" which is what I would suggest for you. These are just like regular mens' briefs but are highly absorbent and disposable. Check out a good online store like http://www.theincontinencestore.com . They have a customer service number that can help you out too. Best of luck.

I have been living with incontinence for over 3 years now since my radical prostatectomy. Has anyone had any luck with a cure, short of surgery. I have done Kegels 'till the cows come home with no real impact. Appreciate any help or thoughts, please.

My understanding is that Kegels don't really work for men because male incontinence (and esp from prostate issues) isn't related to weak pelvic muscles, but rather the ureter valve and swelling at the prostate site. So, as someone said before, you have the choice of a clamp, external "catheter" condom or absorbent product. I think there are some really good "male guards" like those here, and they are a lot easier to get used to than the other choices: http://www.theincontinencestore.com/site/9994...The good news is, the leaking is not normally permenent.

Surgical sling procedures are often the last resort for those whose symptoms have not responded to standard treatments. Some say they cut episodes of urine leaks for some time, but I read some online postings, one of them at bladderslingrecall.us, and found that these devices also have the tendency to fail some time after surgery causing serious complications.

I have been living with incontinence for over 3 years now since my radical prostatectomy. Has anyone had any luck with a cure, short of surgery. I have done Kegels 'till the cows come home with no real impact. Appreciate any help or thoughts, please. [email protected]

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